Tuesday, November 7th, 2017

In just seconds, twister destroys area family's home

By Tom Stankard
Photo by Tom Stankard/The Daily Standard

Little remains of a bedroom in a home on State Route 49 near St. Anthony after a tornado swept through the area on Sunday afternoon. The storm also tore off the walls of the living room and destroyed the garage.

As Cheryl Martinez and her family walked upstairs from their basement on Sunday, they were shocked by the extent of the damage to their St. Anthony home after a twister had swept through the area.
Martinez, her two sons and one daughter, along with her grandson, were inside their home in the 5000 block of State Route 49 when the tornado came roaring through.
She was asleep when her daughter, Yuvana Melendez, 21, warned her a tornado was coming their way, Martinez recalled.
Martinez quickly went to get her grandson, Daniel Sanchez Jr., 9, out of his room and into the basement.
While doing so, Martinez said the wind knocked her down in the kitchen. She pulled Daniel down with her.
Then, her older son, Michael Sanchez, 26, jumped on top of them because "everything was getting ripped off of the house," she said.
Luckily, her other son, Anthony Martinez, 20, was already in the basement, and they managed to safely join him, she said. All five emerged from the scare uninjured.
"It was really quick. It lasted like 30 seconds to a minute," Martinez said.
When it was safe, they walked upstairs and saw the scale of the wreckage.
  Walking through the wreckage in her home on Monday, she pointed out where the twister had torn off the roof, along with the living room walls and a wall in a bedroom.
"Pretty much everything is gone," she said.
Elsewhere in the house, one of the cabinets fell from the kitchen ceiling and loose items were flung onto the floor throughout the house.
Down the hall littered with glass and debris, the other rooms sustained additional damage, she said. In the basement, heavy rain caused severe water damage. Outside, the tornado demolished the single-car garage, leaving behind nothing but rubble.
The family had been living there for seven years, Martinez noted. Family and friends stopped by throughout the day to help clean up and try to "pick through and see if any pictures and things like that could be salvaged."
"Some things can be salvaged, but not a whole lot," she said. "All the pictures I have of my kids are lying there wet and destroyed. Stuff from their bedrooms and the furniture are gone."
A co-worker at JR Manufacturing in Fort Recovery offered Martinez and her family a place to stay for the time being, she pointed out. Moving forward, Martinez said she and her family have begun looking for a new home.
Additional online story on this date
Officials set winds at 120 mph
By WILLIAM KINCAID and TOM STANKARD
newsdept@dailystandard.com
MERCER COUNTY - Strong storms that swept through Mercer County on Sunday afternoo [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
CELINA - The full cost of the storm is still being assessed, but some businesses affected by Sunday's tornadoes have already managed to reopen or plan to soon, while others may be closed for weeks to make repairs.
By NANCY ALLEN and TOM STANKARD
nallen@dailystandard.com
At least 20 livestock buildings and numerous other farm structures were damaged and an undetermined number of livestock perished during Sunday's tornado that swept through western Mercer County.
Officials say watch out for out-of-town repairers who pass through area
CELINA - County residents and business owners recovering from storm damage are urged to beware of scams and know how to handle an insurance claim.
Cheryl Parson of the Better Business Bureau in Lima said the days after a natural disaster can bring out unscrupulous contractors.
CELINA - In the aftermath of the storm and the resulting school closure, several Celina students on Monday put on their working gloves and got to work picking up debris scattered on the ground.
A number of area businesses were busy on Monday selling a variety of supplies needed by residents after two tornadoes had ripped through Mercer County on Sunday.
Council gets update on lawsuit over state income tax changes
FORT RECOVERY - Mayor David Kaup opened Monday's council meeting by sending thoughts and prayers to the victims of Sunday's tornadoes and offering Fort Recovery's services if Celina officials needed additional aid during recovery efforts.
MONTEZUMA - A pedestrian was injured this morning after being struck by a Ford hatchback just east of the intersection of state routes 219 and 703, sheriff's officials said.
Husband and wife coach Cavs to state for 1st time in 20-plus years
As soon as the winning kill bounced on the Eastwood side of the floor at Lake High School on Saturday, Mike Etzler, the Coldwater assistant coach, sprung out of his seat next to head coach Nikki Etzler to celebrate the victory with his wife.
New Bremen is the only team from the Midwest Athletic Conference without a state championship.
That may change in a matter of days.
Two Cardinal teams - the 1959-60 boys' basketball team and the 2005 softball team - reached state but fell just short.
Celina baseball coach Andy Mikesell met Bill Miller at Montgomery Field on Monday morning to view the aftermath from Sunday's tornado.
"Bill Mille